Vending and display device



Jan. 21, 1947. J. FRIEDLANDIER 2,414,691

VENDING AND DISPLAY DEVICE F iled Dec. 26, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet i BY /2 ATTORNEY,

Jan.21, 1947. "J.FRIEDLANDER 2,414,691

VENDING AND DISPLAY'DEVICE Filed D80. 26, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N V EN TOR fans/w fk/zozAa/om.

Patented Jan. 21, 1947 r UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE Joseph ,Friedlander, Newark, N. J. Application December 26, 1944",'Serial.No. 569,885

1 Claim.

Restaurants are generally equipped with table trays upon which are positioned containers for salt, pepper, and other miscellaneous spice and flavor products.

It is the object of this invention to provide a device having a tray to serve as a support for the items above referred to, said device incorporating a unit for the dispensing of chewing gum or the like and having means for displaying advertising matter in an effective manner.

For that purpose I have provided a combined tray and advertising dispensing apparatus wherein the body is rotatable with or independently of the condiment tray.

A preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig". 1 is a perspective view of a display'and vending device embodying one form ofmyinvention, l

Fig. 2 is a horizontal 'sctional view thereof taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l, i r

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional viewtaken on line 33 of Fig. 2, l

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, i

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the rotating dispensingwheel employed inmy device, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings more particularly,

taken on Fig. 3 illustrates a form of my invention wherein I a base I has rotatably secured thereto, as by means of a screw 2, a body casing 3 in which is fixed as by screws or the like, a plate 4 having a drop-out opening 5 at its periphery.

Plate 4 is suitably recessed to rotatably receive a dispenser wheel 8 (Fig. 5) which has a medial aperture to freely receive the lower end of the tray stem 1 (Fig. 3).

The wheel 8 has a plurality of U-shaped openings at its periphery, each of which is adapted to receive pieces of gum from a stack of gum in pockets IT. The inner edge or each lowermost piece of gum is supported on ledge ll) of wheel 8; the outer end of the gum extends beyond the periphery of the member 8 (Fig. 5) and rests upon the circumferential rail 9 of the plate 4 (see Fig.3).

In the operation of the device, as the several pieces of gum are carried around station to sta- 2 chamber provided with a finger wheel I! connected toa toothed wheel It (by means hereinafter described) the wheel l3 having peripheral teeth engageable with the pins |4 pr-ojectingiron the lower face of dispensing wheel 8.

The dispensing wheel 8 is thus advanced one step at a time; a piece of gum falls at the completion of each movement. The dispensing wheel 3 is supplied with gum from the vertical pockets l'l'of overlying gum holder l6 (Figs. 2 and 3), the stacks of gum being weighted down in the usual manner, as by weights indicated at the top of a gum stack in Fig. 3; The gumholder is fixed to the casing 3. (and w'ithrespect to the drop-put opening 5) by screws or the like; no vertical pocket is providedover the drop-out opening.

This gap in the gumholder is employed for advertising as hereinafter more particularly described.

I In the embodiment of the invention referred to, the tray is revolvable only with the dispensing unit by virtue of engagement of ahex nut 28 on the underside of the tray, with a similarly shaped recess 29 in the upper portion of the gum holder. If it is desired to rotate the tray independently ofthe dispenser body, the hex nut may be eliminated 'andany suitable anti-friction device may be substituted; the anti-friction device may be in the form of ball bearings in a raceway defined between two circular members, one member fixed to the underside of the tray, the other to the stem 1.

A cylinder I9 is interposed between the tray 20 and the body casing 3; and the parts latched together by any suitable means; for example, the latch may constitute an arm 2| pivoted as at one end 22 to the underside of plate 4, said arm having a recess engaging a groove 26 in the lower portion of the stem 1, the other end of said arm being preferably urged by spring means in a direction to assure that the arm 2| will normally engage the groove 26 to latch the parts together.

It will be seen from Figs. 3 and 4 that upon removal of the casing lock 21 (which may be of any desired or convenient type to afford access to the coin receiving interior of chamber 3) the slotted arm 2| may be manually displaced from the stem 1, permitting the removal of the tray as well as the transparent cylinder to facilitate refilling the pockets in gum holder.

The invention disclosed herein contemplates the provision of a rotatable dispensing unit in combination with a fixed or rotatable tray, the latter being supported by the dispensing mech- ,anism.

be noted thatin one portion of the holder the pocket is omitted and this holder portion is positioned above the outlet 5, and has a gap which is preferably utilized for advertising by providing a plate 3| extending across the gap. I may dispense with one or more of the pockets l1 in order to provide other advertising areas, without changing the number of the openings in the dispensing wheel to receive gum which is fixed 1 and located in the several pockets.

. It will; thus be seen that I have provided a device. which may be readily rotated on the base I for the convenience of the restaurant patron in removing or replacing articles on the tray and for convenience in actuating the wheel l2 for the dispensing of the articles contained in the device. The weights which are disposed on the articles in the pockets I! may be such that. they would extend when seated on the wheel 8 upwardly and into the pockets l1, thereby locking the device against the actuation of its coin mechanism when the contents of the pockets have been exhausted, and the weights dropto the position referred to.

;',The cylinder: l9 may be made transparent and of any suitablematerial to provide for the effective display of such advertising matter as may be borne on the panels 30 and 3f. the interior of the cylinder may be provided with advertising matter 50 ailixed thereto in any desired or convenient manner, as shown in Fig. 1, the advertising feature thus presented forming a striking advertisement on rotation. Restaurants have generally refrainedfrom introducingadvertising matterin any form as the-restaurant interior does not provide adequate subtle display mediums therefor and patrons resent the more obvious and conventional types of advertising. The invention disclosed herein is designed to provide a combined vending and advertising de- If desired,

c'asin'g3." ,Finger wheel [2 is fixed to shaft 38 journalled in the coin receiving chamber of casing 3. Means are provided to key the shafts 36 and 38 on insertion of a coin in the coin slot ll. Said means may comprise any means whereby, on depositing a coin, the shafts 36 and 38 are keyed together, to rotate in unison until the coin drops by gravity into the coin compartment closed by door 21, may be employed. Such keying means, old in the art, are exemplified by numerous patents and publications of which Patent-No. 1,761,604 is an example. Onrotation of the finger wheel I2 (after inserting the coin) the shaft 36 will rotate .in unison therewith to rotate the dispensing wheel 8 as above described for the discharge of an article from the apparatus.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent; is: r c

In a vending and display device, -a base; an open top casing mounted on said base, a plate fixed to said casing over said open top, -a dispensing wheel rotably mounted on.;sa icl plate, a gum holder fixed to said casing, said gum holder being provided with vertical panels at, the external surfaces thereof, a transparentcylinder positioned in said device andencompassing the gum holder, said v gum holder being -visib1e through said cylinder, a tray positioned on the upper end ,of said cylinder,. a stem fixed at :one end to said tray and passing medially through said gum holder, dispensing wheeL-and plate, and having a. slot in the other end thereof an arm pivotedat one end to the plate,- and means urging said arm into engagement with saidslot-in the other end of said stem to removablyv secure the tray to the plateto latch the parts together.

JOSEPH FRIEDLANDFIR." 

